The project was
initiated in 2004 with the search for a Fieseler Fi 156 Storch. The
intention was to restore a Storch to airworthy condition. The first
hands-on work took place in 2006 when a group of volunteers led by
Tor Nørstegård started to restore three Argus As 10C engines for
static display. The work on the engines was part of a deal with the
Aircraft Museum at Sola and the Aircraft Museum at Bodø. When
finished the three engines were exchanged for a possible airworthy
engine.

In 2007 a project
was bought in Nevada, USA. The Storch with Werknr. 1816 was one of
the last in a series built at the Morane Saulnier Puteaux plant
north of Paris. In August 1944, when the city was liberated, the
partly completed Storch was left behind by the Germans. Sometime
later the French stamped MS 500 S/N 43 on the blank German data
plate and set the manufacture date as 23 November 1944. The Storch
then flew with the French Forces during the last months of the war.
Thus it became a truly remarkable warbird being manufactured by the
Germans, but flown by the Allies. Following a military and later
civilian carrier in France as F-BJQB, the Storch came to the USA in
1970 and was registered N44FS. The aircraft was bought from USA
partly restored following a ground handling accident.

The restoration
work was carried out outside ordinary working hours in a private
workshop at Fetsund. The non-profit, privately funded project also
included the engine overhaul. In 2012 the Storch was put on the
Norwegian register as LN-WNS (Warbirds of Norway Storch). The aim
has been to restore it to a condition as close as possible to an
original Fi 156 C-3. This includes German instrumentation and
original equipment in the cockpit. The Storch is given the identity
of H3+BF, a Storch belonging to Stab Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen
(Jagdgeschwader JG-5) based at Forus, Norway in December 1943.

Post
restoration the Storch was flown successfully by Tor Nørstegård for
the first time on 7 October 2017.

A photo of H3+BF from Stab Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen
taken at Stavanger Forus December 1943.
The "Adler-Emblem" is visible on the engine cowling.

A photo of "sister-ship" H3+BR belonging to Stab
Jagdfliegerfürer Norwegen at Stavanger Forus in Norway
probably taken in the winter 1943/44.
Behind is a Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe.
Does anyone have additional information about this photo?

It turns out that the emblem seen on the left hand
side of
the cowling must be the same "Adler-Emblem" as the one at
a Bf 109 cowling
belonging to the Aircraft Museum at Sola. For a long time it has been
believed that it belonged to Stab Jagdfliegerfürer Norwegen.
However, new
information confirm that fighters from IV/JG5 had this emblem. The
possibilities of both units wearing the same emblem is not unlikely
because
late in the war Major Günter Scholz was both Jagdfliegerfürer
Norwegen and
Geschwaderkommodore JG5. Furthermore, they where both based at Forus
outside
Stavanger, Norway. More information about this can be found in "Luftwaffe
in
Focus" edition 9/2006.

The Adler-Emblem

The Storch is restored in accordance with the Civil Aviation Authority
regulations. This is basically the same regulations that apply for
kit building of experimental aircraft. A complete workshop with all
necessary tools and equipment is located at Fetsund; 30 minutes drive
northeast of Oslo Norway. The group has weekly meetings, and combines
work with social activities. No date is set for the first flight,
but it is anticipated that the work will take 5 – 10 years.